mandamus
Americannoun
-
mandamuses
plural
verb (used with object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mandamus
From the Latin word mandāmus we command
Explanation
A mandamus is an order passed down from a court requiring that an official perform some particular function as an absolute duty. If a public official tries to do his job in whatever way he sees fit, a court might issue a mandamus, telling him, "This is your duty — do it. Or else." Say you're a dogcatcher and you've been looking the other way while Tootles runs free, digging up flower beds. A court might issue a writ of mandamus ordering you to put Tootles in the pound. It's no longer up to you — it's time to bring Tootles in.
Vocabulary lists containing mandamus
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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United States v. Nixon (1974)
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This Week In Words: July 25–31, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“If I were working on this, I would file a writ of mandamus ASAP,” defense lawyer Glenn Danas, a partner at the Clarkson Law Firm, told Slate.
From Salon ● May 16, 2024
They were seeking what’s known as mandamus, which is a request to the court to order a government official to take an action.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 1, 2023
Branstad, but Dennison was partially overturned as the court held that federal courts could mandate extradition through mandamus.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2022
The Supreme Court ruling only dismisses the petition — submitted by a group of parents in Chesapeake — that sought an unconventional form of relief called a writ of mandamus.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 7, 2022
He was honored with a commission of mandamus councillor, which he declined.
From The Loyalists of Massachusetts And the Other Side of the American Revolution by James H. Stark
You realise, I hope, that there are here no judges, juries, nor lawyers, no mandamuses and no appeals.
From Revenge! by Robert Barr
It might rain mandamuses and warrants, they had no power to trouble me.
From Paul Gosslett's Confessions in Love, Law, and The Civil Service by Charles James Lever
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
